Donora Smog Museum

On a chilly, sunny Monday morning in late October 2008, a crowd gathered on the corner of 6th and McKean in the community of Donora, Pennsylvania. The group included community residents, state and local officials, educators, students, a representative from the Library of Congress, the California University of Pennsylvania's Teaching with Primary Sources Program, and the Donora Historical Society.

They had all come to participate in the opening and dedication of the Donora Smog Museum, marking the beginning of a week-long Commemoration of the 1948 smog incident that led to the enactment of modern clean air laws.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests entered the Museum, where they were immediately greeted by a life-size photo of August Chambon, who was the Burgess (mayor) of the community in 1948. Then, thanks to research by local historians who discovered a long-lost recording, the visitors heard the long-deceased Mr. Chambon greet them in his voice.

This episode, which made history "come alive", exemplified the primary objective of the Smog Commemoration collaboration. - David Lonich, Ph.D., educator and member of the Donora Smog Commemorative Committee and the Donora Historical Society.

Donora Smog Museum preserves Donora's rich history and honors the clean air movement it inspired. This Digital Collection showcases a special exhibit focused on the careful process of digitally preserving and cataloging hundreds of enduring primary source materials. Spanning from Donora's founding at the turn of the 20th century to the present, these artifacts offer unique insight into the industrial and social fabric of life in southwestern Pennsylvania.